Mr. Edward Emmanuel, Programme Manager, PANCAP Coordinating Mechanism and Chair of the Opening Proceedings of this Meeting
Hon. Karl Hood, Minister of Health, Grenada and Chair of the OECS Ministers of Health
Mr. Felix St. Hill, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Saint Lucia
Prof. Peter Figueroa, Deputy Chair of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of PANCAP
Mr. Carl Browne, Director, PANCAP
Members of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism, PANCAP
Officials of the CARICOM Secretariat and PANCAP Coordinating Mechanism
Officials of the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Programme of Saint Lucia
Members of the Media
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
I greet you warmly today in the name of the 65 partners that constitute the membership of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) as we commence this 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism.
At the outset, I wish to express deepest gratitude to the Government of Saint Lucia for agreeing to host this very important regional meeting and for all the courtesies that have been extended to the CARICOM Secretariat and the PANCAP Coordinating Unit in the preparatory work leading up to the event. The arrangements have been seamless and the collaboration excellent; and we thank you for this expression of genuine Caribbean solidarity.
I also wish to recognize the presence at this Meeting of Hon. Karl Hood, Minister of Health of Grenada and the Standing Chair of the OECS Ministers of Health. I am advised that this is the very first time that a Minister of Government will be attending a meeting of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism in the capacity of a country delegate and I wish to ask you to join me in welcoming Minister Hood warmly. I interpret his presence here is an indication of his interest in and support for PANCAP and we look forward to his active participation in the deliberations.
Having welcomed Minister Hood appropriately, I now ask your permission to savour a nostalgic moment. The records would show that Saint Lucia occupies a very special place in the annals of PANCAP for it was here, on 8th November 2001, that the first-ever Annual General Meeting of PANCAP was convened; and it was here in Saint Lucia that the first formative steps were taken in the evolution of a structure and operational arrangements that would provide the compass for PANCAP.
Eight years later, we have returned to the cradle of the PANCAP journey, so to speak, but now under vastly different circumstances. Since those early tentative years, PANCAP has evolved into a strong and vibrant entity that has won acclaim as an international best practice.
Since the uncertainty of November 2001, PANCAP has developed a sure footing and has been at the vanguard in coordinating the regional response to HIV and AIDS, influencing regional public policies, delivering regional public goods and mobilizing resources in support of regional initiatives.
And so, as we meet today, there is much cause for celebration. It is in this context, therefore, that I pause to salute the governments, regional agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, private sector and civil society organizations, including networks of people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as development partners that form the bedrock and validate the existence of this unique regional entity called PANCAP.
Notwithstanding the undeniable successes of PANCAP recorded so far, it is important that we keep our feet firmly grounded in the reality of the long and difficult struggle in which we are involved. For we must never lose sight of the significant gap that persists in our quest to achieve universal access to HIV and AIDS-related prevention, treatment, care and support services for the people of the Caribbean by 2010 – which is but one fleeting year from now.
In one year’s time, individual countries and the Caribbean as a whole will be called upon to make good on our commitment to achieve universal access against the internationally agreed indicators and, critically, to provide proof of such achievement. This is the frontier that we have set ourselves, and the eyes of the world will soon be focused on us as we submit ourselves to that reality check. I trust that we shall not be found wanting. Mr. Chairman, as you are aware, I will exercise the responsibility of Chairman of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism for one year, concluding on 30 September 2009, and I would like to share with you my own realistic vision for the period of my tenure. Indeed, I bring with me two over-arching expectations.
The first expectation is to advance the process for the implementation of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS, 2008-2012. I assert, without fear of contradiction, that this document is the product of the most exhaustive strategic planning exercise around HIV and AIDS ever attempted anywhere in this hemisphere, and represents a case study in determined regional strategic endeavour.
My commitment is to work towards ensuring that the strategic objectives and programmatic activities articulated in the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS, 2008-2012, and which resonate so deeply in the collective being of all those persons who have been labouring in the vineyard, are pursued with vigour and urgency to the regional and national public good.
My second motivation lies in the area of resource mobilization. Officially, the financial resources required to support the implementation of the regional component of the Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS has been set at US$60 million. However, recent patently more realistic estimates contemplate a figure closer to US$100 million.
There is no doubt that the task of mobilizing resources of such proportion in the current financial climate will be formidable, although by no means impossible to achieve. On the one hand, we understand and appreciate that PANCAP may no longer be able to benefit directly from the support of many of its traditional development partners, due to shifting strategic focus; and we have previously expressed deepest gratitude to the European Union, CIDA and the IDB for the pioneering role they played in supporting PANCAP from its birth. Unfortunately, such support has now come to an end.
On the other hand, we are keenly aware of the increasing opportunities for funding support to PANCAP from agencies such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR 11, and I intend to lead the pursuit of these emerging opportunities with tenacity.
Mr. Chairman, I am also firm in my conviction that the time is now opportune for the Governments of the Caribbean to demonstrate tangible financial support to PANCAP through an organized system of contribution. This idea is by no means novel since it has already been floated at the level of the Conference of the Heads of Government. What is required is the movement from concept to practice, from ideal to purposive action, and the time is now.
Mr. Chairman, I would have failed in my responsibility as a national and regional policy-maker if I did not again raise the issue of stigma and discrimination during this discourse. The evidence is patent that stigma and discrimination is a major driver of the epidemic and a serious impediment to the achievement of universal access in the Caribbean. And I am persuaded that we will never achieve universal access unless and until we challenge this phenomenon frontally.
Personally, I look forward to the day very soon when people living with HIV/AIDS will feel liberated enough to stand in line at any health facility, in any one of our countries, and receive the care that they need without any fear of intolerance or discrimination.
I yearn for the day when children who are HIV positive can enjoy the benefits of an education without being subjected to the ugly emotional scarring that discrimination leaves in its wake.
I dream of the maturing of our societies to the point where personal freedom is respected at all times, within the limits of policies and legislation that are driven by sound public health principles and good commonsense judgment, rather than by dogmas of one sort or another.
But to arrive at this state is not the work of policy-makers only. Indeed, I make bold to say that we will never lick stigma and discrimination in the Caribbean unless religious and faith-based leaders, civil society organizations, legislators and other interest groups join hands with policy-makers in presenting a common front to a vexing problem.
For my own part, I intend to continue to present the case, whatever the dissident public sentiments might be, including being the receiving end of public ridicule and the mockery of misguided calypsos. Enough said on that.
The Regional Coordinating Mechanism will have a full agenda before it over the next two days. The critical issues to be discussed relate to strengthening the governance, management and coordinating mechanisms of PANCAP; review of progress being made in the implementation of PANCAP projects and programmes; streamlining the operationalization of the new Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework on HIV and AIDS; and defining key resource mobilization efforts.
On the issue of resource mobilization particularly, this meeting will deliberate on, and hopefully approve, a regional project to the tune of some 35 million United States Dollars to be submitted to the Global Fund for its consideration. The focus of this regional project is on the most at risk population and will also include a component on treatment and care in the OECS.
Mr. Chairman, everyone knows that these are tenuous times globally and PANCAP will not escape the adverse impact. Our best hope will be to contain the impact to just ripple effects, rather than be swept away in a tidal surge.
To survive, we will need to maintain a steady and realistic course; we must be clear on the strategic actions that will bring high-end results; we must embrace the lessons of efficiency; and we must all become activists in the cause of mobilizing resources to advance the regional and national HIV and AIDS agenda. There is no other formula.
For my own part, I view the future with a degree of optimism that I hope to take into this meeting and beyond. And, I urge everyone in this room to join me in this crusade.
I thank you!
